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Speaking military slang

Eric Swenson says that when he first enlisted in the US Army, there were several occasions when superior officers would correct his word usage. He gun was a “weapon,” not a firearm, and if something was gone, it wasn’t out, it was “black.” Swenson says that learning to use this sort of lingo was a rite of passage when he first went through basic training, but now that he’s a veteran living stateside, it was just as much of a process to stop speaking military as it was to start.

This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Swenson and dictionary editor and co-host of public radio’s “A Way with Words,” Grant Barrett about how slang and jargon are vital communication tools even though they work to alienate or include certain groups of people. We’ll learn more about certain words and phrases that are now commonplace in American speech that are relics of military culture, and Swenson will tell us more about some new military slang that’s developed as a product of US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Are you from a military family? Are there words from the military that were used in everyday speech? We’d love to hear from you this hour on Focus!

if you’re in the army
if you’re in the armed forces a lot of things different for you compare to civilians that include your slang
lucious lane full of color phone turns off frame colorless abbreviations and Ani
nations and missions in a few terms you would not using Church slang conveys information
conveys information quickly people with shared specialized knowledge newcomers learning

00:00:30

learning military slang is a part of the process of adjusting a military wife
Meadows end today in focus will look military culture through it
one restaurant War army veterinarian Swenson dictionary editor
mine specialist grant terrace lane today on focus

program continues after the news walking
welcome to focus on GMAT don’t call your gonna firearm it’s a weapon

00:01:05

show women and if you’re out of ammunition you might say your black on em up a couple of weeks
couple of examples of recent military slang in my apologies for my voice being a little crooked
little crooked right now but it’ll smooth up will hear a lot more on this additional focus to vote
focus devoted to help people in the armed forces talk amongst themselves to do this
do this will be talking to a veteran and to an expert on slang and we also want to hear from you
also want to hear from you and your experience with the subject are you a veteran do you come from
do you come from a military family are there words from the military that are part of your everyday speech

00:01:40

everyday speech would love to hear from you this hour on focus are toll free number
toll free number at focus is 1 800 2229 455 that’s 1
21 800 222 wyll if you like to call and talk about your ex
about your experience is knowledge of military slang email a sandwich
and we will dance talk at illinois.edu also walking your questions on Facebook
Jensen Facebook and Twitter at focus 580 and before my voice goes in Hialeah better in a deuce
is my guest Eric Swenson he’s in a wreck War Army veteran from iPad to my right

00:02:15

right that’s why I look really a ok practical experience in recent army slang
languorous talked about veterans experiences a Wilo before and
Andy took part in a panel that we hosted last month and champagne to Martha broadcast of the Union
of the Union High student documentaries on area veterans welcome to focus
having me and joining us on the phone also is a grant Barrett he is a
he is a lexicographer dictionary editor specializes in slang
is also the co host of a way with words are not heard on MIDI public radio stations

00:02:50

stations across the country walk the focus Grants NM and dumb
dumb with talking about military slang let me start with you by asking you know when you first
when you first went into the army um what was your first experience with with
Ariens with with hearing slang was it was was it a chance to do with what how does the fact you’re right
affect your experience there well that’s definitely have a very steep learning curve
learning curve when you first join the military I can read high school graduated in May
did Maia went riding in July and then right off the bat your going straight into basic training

00:03:25

new technology is coming at you left and right but the one really
the one really classifieds apple with you even ready to is the term weapon
I think everybody encounters in basic training fairly early on does a big moment that you always experience
experience when you get your first weapon Ishq it is usually in NC
is usually an m16 a2 rifle and Other Drugs sergeants March
Marci down to the Armory in Houston a long line pictures takes forever to go through it all
through it all on you you march to the sea go to big glass window in your urine

00:04:00

your rifle come through to you you take it outside and it everytime inevitably the first
the person that happens if somebody comes out the side of the smiling with you feel like you really fun
who really finally part of military turn off the person standing next to a luck
I finally got my gun and the drill sergeant in the others with my c***
this is coming there jobs make your comfortable and I hear that Turman
German boy you’re in trouble right off the bat you just got into doing push ups in
shops in your learning bread quickly that they have to get right why not say gun

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good question to buy you a you have me on that one this is what it is
what other way around why say weapon not firearm
firearm not rifle can you say anything you could say rifle you could say m16a2
you up weapons the is the blanket general term for when you have NFL Sunday make that
make that deliver early to rite of passage it must be in the sticks
B 52 all the way through that is that is the one term that will absolutely never change the whole time you’re in the military
military it will always be a weapon start to finish weather on any other

00:05:10

any other slang terms are terminology terms Johnson Transit came up immediately in that way
that way weather classic red passages is the good ol fashion Emeryville
MRE meal ready to eat you get one failure on it Rihanna basics
early on a basic training and everybody Serranos is coming you know what some point you’re going to get in the Marines
can you hear about it before but you never actually taste of that quintessential army food
futon I can still remember to this day my first Marino ever lose it it was
kind of training with 4 o’clock in the morning it was pitch black outside with cold

00:05:45

old and I we were issued Emory’s to eat it was pork and shrimp jambalaya
jambalaya ice cold in the morning after I woke up it was horrible
and you wouldn’t it sounds like you never called is anything and anything but in memory
free up some some slang terms for Marie
okay so different from any other food you would be having along the way yeah
yeah and then just being Emory’s what you ate when you were in a rock
Yuna rock station down there well Emory was it was a common staple food for less

00:06:20

food for a lot of people uh not for everybody if you were on a large military base
Terry bass baby in the green zone like in Baghdad something to be really large dining facilities we can get hot food it was
hot food that was exactly halfway decent a smaller outpost up the opposite I worked on prison planet
dining facility I were you can go and get something to eat
other slang for you just picking up along the way and what how is it being used
how well you start to pick up a basic training but really does the slang
does the slang in the terms c** really hard and fast when you actually get your urine when you’re finished with your training

00:06:55

and you have to go to the environment working and for the rest your time in the military
very quickly there and some of this was about to directly involved with the work you were doing with
where do ing weather like maybe a previous versions things things like that
like that in terms of the work you were doing everyday will the army love acronym acronym for
acronym for just about everything and an army language is really sterile actually very professional
very professional terms are going to be used to report something a body can talk that way so
so so s.o.p standard operating procedure talk tactical operating center DC

00:07:30

very quickly to pick him up we’re talking about the military slang
flying in this case within rack War Army veteran and what what what years were you
what years were you stationed out anorak why was in our body Iraq from
from 2006 to 2007 ok and Eric Swenson now in packs
now in Paxton and studying at the University of Illinois if you have some examples of military slang
military slang for us give us a call at 1 800 22 29455 you can email your
email your questions to will dash Tonkin Illinois .edu in our phone number again

00:08:05

phone number again 1 800 222 wyll signs phone or email you can send them to
can send them to us on Twitter or Facebook and focus 580
ZrO im terminologies you know uh a slang labels at URI
labels that you were using in in talking about to you know a certain people certain discs
certain to certain types of officers ranks the mind of conveyed somebody
about judgement of feeling about 12 V Easter eggs are everywhere on military in and its hard to pick
it’s hard to pick to pick a favorite um I guess I buy a good

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should a good class example to go with is the term butter bar butter bar
tasty but what is it well that refers to a a second lieutenant
2nd lieutenant in the Army which is the lowest rank of officer and anybody familiar with
anybody familiar will know that a tenants rank insignia is a single
is a single a bar adjustable support rectangle in a second lieutenant the gold color
gold color Which Wich Salusbury easily to the term butter bar
NL butter bars is gonna be one of the most universally despised people

00:09:15

people in the military desert dessert Young offices that are fresh out of training
UPrinting bear bear fresh out of out of there school today go through coming to your unit
unit a really good the weather so see this is almost like if you’re working
working in and maybe a machine shop or something like that
and you been there a long time and you really familiar with the way you do business how to get things done your job
Job and all of a sudden you get this brand new manager with fresh out of college and thinks he knows everything
everything Billy comic strip I was actually looking up

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looking up a gold bar you said yes okay um yeah I think of him
yeah I think of him um yeah you gotta wonder what if
if there if if they are the targets of the slang do the second lieutenants of Thrones line did
did Deena different groups that really goes to the next question because your
because you’re in a particular group of the armed forces in a particular place doing a particular type of work
work did you ever come across of the universe and get the feeling that some of their terminology was different from yours
different from yours because the work they did certainly offices will talk because

00:10:25

will talk because you’re awesome so close in capital letters in the work that you doing with N
what’s in your own job in your own unit that you don’t necessarily encounter the term set of people use
people use a specific me the light I do know a couple n***** apples just people that I work with mio
work with my own unit of a classic with Sunbreak we worked a lot of nights often sometimes you
sometimes you even go months without ever seeing the Sun and smokers
naturally gotta take a 15 minute break whenever they feel like I did that to nicotine
nicotine is non smokers we just a navigate to get outside Chatham little bit of sunshine in so

00:11:00

sunshine itself after while we realize it was there the need for Sunbreak want to go out in
Dr Jack in the Sun Rise this is something something haven’t already been developed did that
where did that develop while you were there no no that was that was spontaneous was awesome and we realize that was
what was needed in work for us and I don’t have never Colorado anywhere else okay you mention the act
you mention the acronyms can you give me an idea Hollywood strip come up in a come up in a conversation
conversation are talking about you work um well I add something
something everybody is probably with all the listeners is going to be the term ID

00:11:35

id which is improvised explosive device that was a really common
becoming the weapon that but we encounter trout our time in Iraq in
Iraq and I was with you for all kinds of different units and the
Larry future the term ID you might make you so CC Association Road
Association roadside bomb you might think a traumatic brain injury
if you make associations you doing pretty good job actually even a simple, turn like that
Comintern like that has a lot of new wants to it and it wasn’t justice kind of roadside bombs

00:12:10

palms of everything that the teacher improvised so forgetful
when I was a kid ride in our walk around town country road I would kick a rock
right thing about everybody does that and that actually the insurgents in Iraq real
Iraqi realize that Americans like to do that we like to kick things were walking so they would
they would um turn 10 cancion piece of trash action IDs when you kick it with you Akon
what kind of explosion so that supported the things that I eat IUD meant for
meant for you a potential I’m not just for sale homemade bomb on amateur

00:12:45

amateurish bomb but a potentially hidden device will certainly Orlando
what size is just a few Jude range assist the Superbowl universal
bowl Universal term like that I can just meet a lot of things I want to bring in our are the guests
are the cast here at this point in Granbury who has a who is something something of an expert on
expert on slang and grant I’m wondering if you listen to the weather is telling me
does it say anything about how slang develops we don’t really it’s not
it’s not really clear from listening this how we got from the area of not having it

00:13:20

not have a noose words to the point where all the sudden the widespread in common understood how do these words grow
is words Grohl interesting to talk about in terms of the military because each
cuz Beach theater eat war each branch of service has its own particular back
articular best sling for lap there some historical continuity but um
you can pretty much go back into the historical records pull up some slang and I cannot publish tell you what
tell you what were they were from I went with used with really interesting about the stuff to come out of
stuff to come out of Iraq is that um we had new encounters for the first time with the

00:13:55

I’m with the Rockies Frisco floor but Americans really have
really happened to really happening countered those people that culture include a long time
long time and British hat and so we have come over
over for example Hodgy actually comes from terms that were used by the British when they were there in the 20s
are there in the 20’s and 30’s um but gets the largest a question here in slang
slinky comes about because there’s a concentrated effort where a bunch of people have a common intense
intense mission and have to work closely together what they do the Improv I short hand need

00:14:30

I need brief ways of expressing complicated ideas for a complicated words
now this is a manifest a slang word manifest is charging but they both do that job to both
the both get a point cost very quickly I’m back to the beginning of the converse
beginning of the conversation talk about weapon vs got a really interesting point here witch is dead
is there going to be a lot of things and so if you are told on your first day with a weapon
with a weapon that that is only a weapon in clarity and everybody calls and weapon
deserted continues to Tristan if you go to live in the conversation

00:15:05

the conversation talk but id absolutely essential that you understand a lot of things but as
things but as as I’m a wreck said the improvised is the keyword here and you’re going to understand
understanding the start button button and the intensity of experiencing genders kind of language creationism
which pH is a natural compulsion human beings to make new language when they encounter something
Counter something unusual to make something as a group and when they need to talk about it
talk about it and have some kind of recorded in their minds for for later use
Sirius on demand quickly if I could not grant if I could get a clarification slang

00:15:40

slang vs Johnson how do they differ are dragon is the language of the workplace
the workplace windstream or less jerkin is official and it if you have a a doctor
iDoctor in New York City you can use the same charger as the doctor in San Francisco slang to the beach
the beach from much smaller groups in about people have a common interest common ideas are common attitude
attitude sew a soldier speaks jerkin because that’s what they taught by their CO in
CL and I’m done that service around them but they all speak slang for that’s what they need for to
for to have unity with the people they serve with someone I so I eat D I might be

00:16:15

might be an example of jargon yes but if you call it DBI EDI donkey born
adoptee born IUD that’s going to be flat donkeyboy 90 DHA do you know this one this one Eric
Eric Axley I had forgotten its been so long but I did that term
lensa a pretty clear image of his actions
something on an animal essentially exactly exposed to strep turn into one way or the other
amino SWAT on the rear end fit into the across the line
um but so is this one term to the flight shifted attitude

00:16:50

um and usage its language I go again and again we see this happen back to the term
go back to the term butter bites really interesting so that the second time you write what has always been about
Ben a butter bar sometimes they were called brown bars or second Louis are a 2lt
a2 LTE or boot eat one of these has a specific time and place they were used
and so um you’re not going to have a lot of unity um without
without all this language kind of glue in together your common shared ideas experiences principles
Kohls in the promo for Today Show I use when I use the word Sun break

00:17:25

break that you’ve already explained it right to use the word of Houston
used to I guess the drunken term px which maybe something that also predates York
dates your pee to the particular conflict that you are in but px sounds like it’s been around for awhile
while grantee have any familiarity with that TX is this is the place we go for
place we go for supplies are food and that’s that’s what it was for your hair
where it was only when you were you were at home in the United States
dates you have a of post px co2 for grocery shopping like that but when you report

00:18:00

what is Floyd the PX the majority of the sofa bed without actually be
601 like magazines like junk food like that how far back
how far back does px go with you but you know grande a hundred years cause back to the
Back to the the First World War and its about appreciation for Post Exchange
change your ps3 and pawn where you walk that’s sometimes
take to get mail from post time do the place to get a socks and stamps other times you could actually
FedEx the like em all you can eat anything I wanted was talking about military slang

00:18:35

military slang today on focus without air Eric Swenson he’s a Generac war
Iraq war Army veteran and off with a grandparent to is a lexicographer annex
expert on slide cohost of the public radio program a way with words with
words with love to hear from you on your knowledge of military slang for apps from a different color
a different conflict in a rock with its own vocabulary give us a call at 1 800 222
2229 455 email your questions to will dash time
will dash Tongkat Illinois .edu phone number again 1 800 22

00:19:10

222 wyll we’re on Twitter and Facebook and focus
focus 580 the third word I use the promo for Today Show concert frame
search phrase was Ranger pudding and um you have some
you have a sum sum definition of putting well I don’t know but I should come from the ranch
the Rangers or not but they were components in an MRE that you could mix together to make
make a kind of a page thank you delete something like coffee creamer Cocos you can get it we going to that
that I could eat a variety of ways to die Cracker if I thaw out of 10

00:19:45

10 people actually you would take take it put it in you put it in the engine
engine compartment of a hobby where you can get up and cook it into something more like a brownie Oreo cupcake
cake and actually was it was pretty darn good things considered it’s something say something something
something something something unintentional from the mr. E’s in the early works pretty well
the works pretty well I think your way to get a really good meal I’ve been out of an MRE through something on attention with a
Grand Am wondering I have there been passed military slang terms
slang terms involving food in general whether its army rations or anything else

00:20:20

anything else that always have been at sea rations via termed the old
the older veterans probably now mr. E’s another one of those examples where is jargon if you can
jargon if you think it means meals ready to eat but its saying if you think it means Mills rejected by everyone
did the food in the military is notorious for being
being Tyson get sustaining cup calories enough vitamins
vitamins and fat insults you need I’m the food terms are just
the distance from making new to me to putting remind me of pruno which is the

00:20:55

which is the ad hoc illicit alcohol made in prisons if it’s kind of human innovative fitness
innovative fitness under a hundred res I’m thinking back to um stuff from the Sun
stuff from the Civil War there was a song about goober peas I don’t know if that’s a slang term itself
do burpees I don’t know the song we sing it um I
I something along the lines of peace peace peace peace eating goober peas
um something about it being delicious I think you said sarcastically eating goober peas
eating a burpee several verses uh I can maybe try looking them up the other thing from

00:21:30

from the Civil War I and heard of that were taught that was taught to be spiritually
sandwich still exist in some form Somewhere I believe Necco wafers but as for
but as far as what terms came along with them I don’t know but that’s that’s that’s going back
that’s that’s going back about a hundred sixty years that’s a that is a bit of a bit of a straw
abilify stretch a Hall of Famer peas a go back to the 1830s is another
37 other name for peanut butter to its very very standard in the southern part of the United
part of the United States to being seen on usual in the northern Northeast United States

00:22:05

Liberty’s Coopers okay we are talking about military slang
military slang Eric Swenson I was wondering did some of this line or jargon I mean
what was it essential to the point of tears things that are really hard to talk about with out
about without going into the terminology yeah solutely
absolutely and I think a big challenge a lot of veterans face when they return from the military military
military and civilian life is just learning how to translate experiences
experiences and what you’ve done and it turns out that the Phillies game understand

00:22:40

can you give an example of a well I think a really good simple example was that one
how old was that when I was in the army I was in a 19
meant to be teen to yd which wife did you say
what did you say 5280 with Jordans flying button
Convenia Fairmount a meeting for me that I was in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team
team of 2nd Infantry Division and you know this is no different than if it if you worked at
dat Illinois public media how do you have to take that end conversion

00:23:15

where you work to somebody in for something to change that
that long can a list of numbers and letters into eternity people can understand
understanding and can you can receive from at where you working with you didn’t actually really big challenge
okay but that was so a pretty quick way of getting it done yeah thats thats cute
what ski right let’s go ahead and take a call and I’ll online 11
talking for mileage from champagne good morning run Focus thank you I would like
I would like to give an example of hairy old

00:23:50

Food Lion from the Navy
start late probably days Saving show
that was to call candy
and a sweet pokey bait
the old salt
what by a bunch candy before they started out
started out for their sailing ship an order to lure

00:24:25

cabin boy down and the whole world how are immoral
are immoral purposes okay really pokey I mean what
what is pokey itself stand for candy
the poky is the candy or focus a person other trying to get home
trying to get hold up pokies the person and yeah and pokey bait to Canada
the candidate for the person okay that doesn’t itch so this is this is not
this is not just one slang term attacks it’s actually a of a couple

00:25:00

couple connected together Rick think you very much for your call um that’s that
that that that that that that certainly brings up to a new level let me take it up to a line 4
4 and say hello to a Lin from champagne I was actually speaking
direct from Crawford County in earlier call thank you wrecked but um
and we seem to have large do we have heard I’m sorry for the confusion
my confusion line for Lynn from champagne good morning no weight loss
no weight loss lately maybe we can get lean back in a few moments pokey bait pokey

00:25:35

pokey is I thought I was reading somewhere in Brooklyn for the show that have to do with PO
how to do with pogpogsreliacard
was really really common slang in the Army when I was in it and I poog
gogg with an acronym for person of Van Brunt which
which was the would be somebody who robbed work n more in office environment
the weather temperature bad or or something like that
like that um I was generally use this as I’m with rogatory term about icon

00:26:10

about icon is all the time actually a history of the term pokey bait
because we use alot to B******* loss of friend really negative connotation NM
universally just a mink and your junk food in a lot of times it was Peter key
okay but in this case the Phog the person of the grunt was a cabin boy
cabin boy from other from from the way that I call a record
grant of person other than crunches pioggia Santa Frasier
is that a phrase you heard before um yeah that’s not with them witches of

00:26:45

is of the term existed before it was trying to turn acronym the people who are trying to explain its origins
origins of Georgia pokey is is a mystery
papeleta pokey terms for a poor house or prison but its it’s
but its it’s in the bag origin unknown pedigree playing is often like that
deep roots we can’t on cover so what you’re saying is that the word predate
word predates of the explanation yes by 500
100 years while what were talking about military slang Hiiraan focus we’re going to take a shower

00:27:20

focus for going to take a short break right now but will be back with more talk about sex with with veteran
with veterinary Winston without grandparents are slang expert and with you with all the expiry
with all the experiences and examples that you can give us this is focus on wyll
lol or back on focus mg meadows in working
what does in Workington discussion of military slang and its role in military culture
culture my guests are around for Army veteran Eric Swenson and a dictionary editor
Marietta in slang specialist grant parity is the compiler of the official dictionary

00:27:55

Dictionary of unofficial English and the Oxford Dictionary of American Bully
American political slang and we want to hear what you have to tell us about military slang College
College with your stories and examples at 1 800 22 29455
55 are you male eyes at will dash Tongkat Illinois .et you
edu were on Twitter and Facebook at focus 580 the phone
the phone number again is 1 800 222 a wi ll
I ll I found some lyrics to Cooper peds online an example of

00:28:30

sample of a chorus with dark brother of a verse with the when a horse man passes the soldier
does the soldiers have a rule to cry out the loudest Mr here’s your mule but another custom
another custom enchanting ur than these is wearing out your grinders eating goober peas
goober peas which I guess gives you a general idea of of how much is the stuff
the stuff they were eating a little more than the night Fox 12 no songs about Mr
songs about mr. E’s you know a very shiny know okay we were
we were listening to the other to the example of pokey bait as I am

00:29:05

choleric talked about eyes I think of them
there’s a military slang for probably not going to point mansion on the year for the time is it is at the gates
what is at the gates to get some stuff you wouldn’t want to say im polite company yes that bad
yes that is very true what was it like coming out of military life Pinterest
life into civilian life with all the slang in your head so much of it a part of your
the part of your you know you’re in your daily vocabulary in a way of thinking about the work in the world
in the world of you what was it like going back into a civilian life and people who might not know what

00:29:40

who might not know what you were talking about well actually even just learning to not swear concert
swear constantly the big challenge NXT I think that was hard
that was hard to not do really early on um after my basic training even United
United starts wearing white and so if I was at like a dinner with family friends or something like that
something like that if I wasn’t paying close attention to what I’m saying with c** swapping out and then
when you leave the military accept one of the first terms that’s that stuff that you
what you want I want to lose was was the term weapon because nobody in the civilian world

00:30:15

words that write an accident that in general Sisi are young man
ban somewhere in the term weapon is probably affair battery still no terriers
freshly left haven’t seen any movies or TV shows about the war
how did the war in Iraq in big is art are the lines at the actor say there
do you say they’re real realistic incorrect what your spirit
well I will have a caveat with witches that I don’t watch a lot of pieces of movies based
movies based on the war in Iraq or Afghanistan for a reason to one of them is

00:30:50

is the never really feels accurate certainly and actually think about it the movie
the movie you’re trying to keep an audience’s attention for an hour and a half and a lot of times the things
the things that people say movies are just are really over dramatic 50 intensities put in today
is put into them then you actually say in real life im and then a lot of times a slang
what time does slang the darkness is this place is the worst of watching a movie up for a TV show
aura TV show actually do you pick one up in and out the helicopter comes in an essay
get to the chopper Reid because nobody chopper live the right that’s a big iron

00:31:25

big iron grandparent a dumb you know I can think of just about every episode of mash
pasote of MASH that I ever saw I think the word chopper caiman when did when did Fox in the army
Fox in the army say chopper I don’t know if they ever actually it’s a chopper I suspect it one of those words that
does words that um a screenplay writers really love to borrow from each other
weather and not actual back to original source material so its not necessarily
Sara Lee military slang episode of Hollywood military slang of separate world
world again in a couple times in history of slaying with amazing things happen

00:32:00

things happen where Hollywood has made it happen with the old western happened with the Mafia
mafia for Hollywood made a big splash with the movie or series of movies and then people who
then people who were writing paper newspapers for books in the arena in Baroda
can borrow their language from the movies and then the next movies were made a part in the book the part in the movie
depart from the movies and so for temple of cowboy language actually was invented invented
invented by fiction writers in screenplay writers same for a lot of the mob talk talk
talking Dora transcripts and and for the FBI have of my people think

00:32:35

take a picture from a cut that turned from Goodfellas baby pictures from the movie
the movie started from the movies and and and certainly with me
off with military shows its a lot of that going on they the watch shop
the guys who ride home in a really good they’re pretty good for screenplay writers but they’re not all X Men
not all ex military in and it shows I’m here to Pisa slang which planet comes real life Denny’s
real life Danny from Des Moines is email that I’m a former Marine and I remember 12
I remember 12 my daughter was in college I came to visit in Astor roommate where the head was

00:33:10

most confusing mortified look I’ve ever seen
do you use the term head for for toilet Darla train not in the army now the army what are you called
what do you call it when you work while I will treat you right there would be head is that
head is that um is is Attleboro is is that strictly Marina may be a Navy term
Peterman naval Marine septuplets of c** from the comes from the
come from the the dragon slaying of the world dates to navel
nipple nipple military do we know why I had is called head I don’t know actually I don’t know

00:33:45

I don’t know another one of those times lost deep in the mist of English English is estranged
the strange beastie biys many places and sometimes its origin sarar unusual
unusual so this is it this is something I can actually go back from a of a of a few
fuel a few centuries wraps definitely definitely think I act like I don’t have to
I don’t have to get right back to the fifties hundreds and I do we have any mail
we have an email to Kim in about time what we were talking about the first thing that you learned
um the rifle is not a gun into a weapon um we have us

00:34:20

someone riding in telling us that the rifle’s not call the gun because the barrel
the barrel in the rifle has rifling um its okay to call machine gun
machine guns in artillery guns guns because they originally were not
we’re not rifled so um there’s a police tactical
tactical differences but I guess they are all weapons which would make it a military
military correct to call them all weapons that would be the that would be the correct
the correct terminal times with that that sound good to you well I don’t have that much

00:34:55

experience working roundup artillery like that but that’s really interesting explanation
what makes perfect sense but for me living at my reality is just a weapon I’ve never heard
I’ve never heard I never heard the word rifle explain to tell the eyes and tell this concert
Wisconsin rifling came up um Berenger lexicographer do you know more about this
Villa is a good example to make a note that used to in the future
future it’s really great example of how inside of a particular profession of scalding a soldier
call being a soldier a profession inside of a professional language is so ugly specific because

00:35:30

Pacific because it has to be until you might need to know a thing like the right thing inside that particular weapon
can a weapon on the outside of the military have examples like um
psychotherapist my status is a*** retentive which is kinda become popular
picky or a parking ticket in the desert very different meanings
even though they are related to have one whole set of meetings outside of field in very precise meetings
Reaper scythe meetings inside of field about Michael Jackson Sean email setup I want to basics
the basics at Fort Bliss Texas A&M defense artillery base of the time gun

00:36:05

gun according to our drill sergeants always equal to artillery pieces like
like how it serves which are pretty big guns and not anything that you hold in your hand
your hand um and is that I can you eat you didn’t do much directly with
directly with what’s up with those are far up with with those are weapons
I know I was an infantry battalion even and odd we have access to the kind of salt
did read receipt support office times from from artillery units to work
were a Jason Tour nearby twist with a wood fire in our area of operations to help us

00:36:40

we have a cooler online one this is Todd from Effingham County in a good morning run Focus
focus nice talking guys find your the term
term of the AF be like on vacation day of weapons when
when it seems to me the hash weapon to set something strange
change the timer on the pronunciation of the word misspelling
Erika set something in your experience while my experience it was always a cash of weather
cash of weapons on the wifi heard people go back and forth on cash vs cash a gram

00:37:15

grand can you open up on the cash vs cashing Mike Anders at the reason for this confusion
just confused because we barred from the French defense for the cash a ch ch ER
chtr it means to hide and if you have the pants past tense of hide meaning
hide meaning hitting it is cash a ch ch eat with an accent over it
however it but and thighs also as cash which is not the French
what the French pronunciation of for the past tense but it is for the noun so what we have your probably multiple Barn
multiple Barnes into English from the French of various forms of the same verb for the confusion

00:37:50

I’m the best you should probably cache ok but um of the best are the most common
what are the most common to both okay thank you very much for for your call I’m
call I’m wondering in a kiss like that is this a term that is mostly
mostly a military term or is also going in and out between a language is a different color
is a different contacts in other places grandma grandpa
do you know yes sir will cash it also exists in a min
in a mini other fields you can find in the in the in the New World

00:38:25

in the New World the language of French trappers to make a cash ready with hide their first supplies
supplies to make him back to a trail and then the mother day you’ll find cash in computing where is
computing where its a particular bit of memory where data is temporarily stored saved up and then we used
and then we used a little bit later in the cash is clear to candy how you to get to have a little bit extra data stored in the
data stored in there so um its a broad spectrum of uses here and in the end of the world
live in the world North America this is focus wyll and we are talking about military
military slang with Eric Swenson who used a lot of it when he was in the Army in

00:39:00

Army in Iraq and also with grandparents knows alot about slang and
like in general is lexicographer and the co host of the public radio program a way with words
with words and we’re all getting your examples of military slang examples and your knowledge
send your knowledge we love to hear from you at 1 800 22 29455
i5 you can email your question to S&W y el dash talking Illinois .edu
my.edu phone number again 1 800 222 a WIA
are you I am lol and I believe we have another call me hear this is line 2

00:39:35

line2 from Urbana the morning around Focus good morning
when I was the only had a different explanation for why rifle should I be called a gun
how did the rifling the barrel what to do with the distance between a rifle and a pistol
pistol in car back if you call the rifleman gun what is the confused face
horse pistols have rifling to so anyway that was during the Korean War
changed since then now did you were you told to call everything a weapon
no we didn’t use the word weapon tall actually had it so the ticket

00:40:10

Decatur nomenclature so you would call a pistol pistol and a cup
what’s a god to a pistol to but it was a gun
how to write a rifle was never a gun rifles with a rifle just because you couldn’t refuse
fuse the two of you should confuse the two of them now did you have any other weapons you what your having
you are having to talk about at a time like the requirements rifle for example
which was a kind of shoulder help to quit Cattin
licensing requirements rifle mortars mortars

00:40:45

Motors in F&O Catonsville Canada various sorts now the
now the new all those all the stuff all the weapons you were working with at the time
did you would you stay pretty precise in the language on wood did any slang terms build up to
build up to describe someone I can’t recall is slang terms of tomatoes
tomato story called us okay but isn’t
interesting of course assessment from about 60 years from furniture
SunTrust Korea time now but ugh this this thing that sound like it’s it

00:41:20

sound like its its fluid through even though the force the military in the armed forces will have a long sentence
along with tradition there are a lot of people moving in and out and they’re going to a lot of different
do a lot of different places in a technology changes things Oceanside to question the queen worth
where was a draft is army professional that sense
what scents do with a changin in jail so okay
okay well I want to thank you very much for your called um grandparents and Principe justice
adjust a question for me um when the Army is

00:41:55

army is draft en people coming from all throughout Society in large numbers
large numbers as compared to the valunteer army we have now does that affect the slang
vector slanga does that affect the slang in terms of weather not a comes back into a civilian
civilian practice yes definitely does if somebody was drafted are less likely
last Lakers been a long time in the service which means they’re going to reenter the civilian world much more quickly
what’s more quickly they going to have a less Dragon Moore slang and going to be dropping into everything
everyday speech more more frequently it’s a long time to come are in the service

00:42:30

are the service for 10 20 30 years does the guys who are not bring that language pack
bring that language back probably to the family communities I’m probably should have just asked your last
after pill last caller if he knew the turn the key to riches a really great example of a cream work
cream work terminal crazy was brought back by soldiers and for time had some car
I’m at the currency in books and movies in Danbury place is a good example of the foreign
for in terms that are military bring back with I’m going home with another one of those
gunshow comes from what language of Chinese in Chinese Eric urine in Arabic

00:43:05

are in Arabic speaking country were there any Arab words that were circulating in Sparta
circulating as part of its part of your terminology n slide why stretch my memory
memory I actually can’t really think of anything we did actually use the term hotter hot gelato
um I think maybe that’s the the closest I think we came I was wonder
I was wondering when I saw the word Haji and buy Haji your exact what are you are you referring to
well that’s very blanket and probably mildly offensive term but it
essentially it meant anybody who was not

00:43:40

not a part of the army are you unit sone any civilian or
nor contractor who is the unit and who was a presumably Arabic
check my understanding when I hear the word Haji I fink of tooth
I think of two things it could technically refer to a Muslim who is made pilgrimage
pilgrimage but something that might loom larger in American imaginations
Asians is the Indian boy or teenager in the Jonny Quest cartoon Adventures series
and that’s actually the first thing that comes to mind I think rent your man

00:44:15

grant your mentioning it’s actually older than the current conflict in the army with
army was was used to determine the British of a does refer to
to someone who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca that’s one of the 7 pillars of Islam of something you
something you as I am I supposed to do with and you’re with your life is make a pilgrim
pilgrim it and then you get the honorific of Hajj and it is up to something various forms Newbury
transform the various languages for the cultures that have as a major religion amenities use a blanket
blanket term for the locals basically anybody is not part of the military force and and it has been used

00:44:50

has been used to really but I have frequently heard it and seen it how to use
used in a way that it really like you to fix Mac buddy Joe Paolino
how you know a guy you know a Hajj something like that so so it really buried on the contacts
Arizona contacts to me not be meant I don’t know how it is taken by a friend by Arabs speak
buy yerba speakers in the country urine Alliance 3 la grande from Vermillion County
County good morning in focus at work I was in the Navy
baby 6876 and I don’t know if the term still use for the

00:45:25

the request form call the chip phit I sue its origin
the origin of the British Navy but I could you spell that I’ve heard that term
the term but I know I’ve never known but it comes from Grant do you know anything about it really this is an ex
xnxx return at night this goes back to the British military
military experience in India the British b*** back from Hindi it means a note for 8
for a pass and came into British English then into the military service
service in the United States and his existed in English ever since the late 18th century

00:46:00

century and diet getting ate it from the Indians
it comes from Hindi yeah its Indiana British British right back from their experiences apartment
apartment and Eric will you using data in a rock what would you do when you win when you need it
when you need supplies what do the paperwork to call it Boston
why should have never heard that the term to before it was something we ever used when I’m not sure that we are
slang term existed
cancer Colorado on the line if I use the term get up when he was in the service

00:46:35

service back DGK are you know I don’t know that
I don’t know that well it’s a understand that it’s GED you in K
and its equivalent of pokey so it’s the sweet ice cream Michael down to the message to get
MS to get well that was the
not used as such but we have to get up
what was called the word if the weather like okay okay
alpha connections will start a band and he does what what what is that again from

00:47:10

getting from it from from your memory in the in the service what is that what is that fooled again
can a guinea pig eat Pret A in any any fast food or
dork generally sweet treats okay so could be something like candy bar
are you get anything that the basically was the out of the ordinary
out of the ordinary chocolate candies off of anything that the was not
was not normal healthy food not Grantwood and grant words that come from again
come from again it’s pretty sure it comes from a comic strip that used to run in the Chicago newspaper

00:47:45

Chicago newspapers in the 1920s and from a column in there and supposedly I don’t know how she does it
I don’t know how sure this is the first the sound of dipping your donut in your coffee
that makes perfect sense now that I think
what it would it would it would go to Donuts in pastry things like that it it’s even today
even today get out of the wide variety of uses some people say it’s only the place for you
the place where you get those things of sweet potato ice cream some people say that any kind of treats
treat the word nearly you wouldn’t that be served what’s the thing that you sneak down 4s

00:48:20

down for after hours pokebase in the case of a Gemini or cancer
coming with you talk about that if you wanted to go get something sweet yeah yeah if you are
yeah if you what you want to go to the PX maybe pokey bait or maybe you were trying to up to fish it
officious something out of a friend of yours to who got a care package recently from family or who’s been with px recently
px recently PokeBeach okay thank you very much
thank you very much for for calling to cover the monogram there and
and just about another another minute left im this is the end

00:48:55

I feel just covering part of the issue here of a pie mean part of the sub a cup of milk
because of military slang because you were talking a little before bed just how almond compassing
compassing this this this line can be and how what was some of it is just
what is just relatively easy label some of it sounds like they just are words that have
that have meetings that I just hard to replace once off with with with civilian language
billion light which is the point to about this being a volunteer vs drafted army
did army and the military today because it’s a small portion of the population of the United States

00:49:30

the United States what I found that the one close to obey so I’m close to us
Veterans Services a lot of the slang terminology for recognize the further I get away from that
from that I’m finding myself around you were fewer veterans Professional associate with that nobody recognizes
nobody recognizes term so suddenly it up a drafter me where you at a much larger number
whats larger number of young men be more stablished and on Grant maybe if we are they
baby if you are there examples in the case of during the times of a of a of a large draft army
army of slang that made it into general civilian language may be out of World War 2 RV

00:50:05

World War Two are Vietnam ohyeah to the tone of this stuff of life I love the terms
I love the term snafu stand for situation normal of al.com
can find this in business jargon I do you can find in the mouth of Congress people news casters misses military
this is a military term comes out of a chest before the Second World War probably
probably from the Marines mission gungho before I was one of those if these days
these days instead of a charging eat a misfire slinky use inside Services
like all about the service you know about doing the right thing and then outside of military tent refer to somebody

00:50:40

refer to somebody who is just like putting all the effort to dispose put into Israel into the attic
stick but I’m a man of digits of bite the bullet
what was the term that I am I going to bring up from the American Civil War ugly if you were gay
if you were getting your legs out of anesthetic maybe can a bullet don’t think of the small things that you put a pistol
do you put a pistol think of the larger ones few inches long you might be getting one of those to play
one of those to plant between your teeth as they saw that you um trying to connect
this is something that was really happening at the slang well that’s all the time we have

00:51:15

all the time we have for this talk about military slang it’s been a fascinating hour thanks to my guests
my guests lexicographer and Selena specialist grandparents and run for Army veteran
veterinary Swenson and thanks for all of you who called or email to mark all email questions
questions are apologies for anyone who didn’t make it to the air we invite you to continue the discussion on
discussion on today’s programa wyll that will DoD Illinois slash ADOC
a.edu/focusfeatures of men
of men dela future of South Africa after the death of Nelson Mandela the spoken